Numerous means for making it easier to enter the bed of a vehicle like a truck such as a pickup truck are known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,462,170, 5,549,312, 5,617,930 and 5,941,342 disclose folding staircases or ladders for fastening to the tailgate of a truck and U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,638 discloses a bed extender for a box of a pickup that includes a second tailgate that has a folding step. U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,915 discloses a side panel for a pickup having integral steps, but this entry position interferes with the position of choice for large tool boxes, is very expensive and adds additional joint lines to the exterior of the pickup box.
None of the above disclosed devices meet the long felt needs of one or more convenient and stable steps onto the bed of a truck, good aesthetics both inside and outside the box as required of today's pickup trucks and low cost. Also, most of these devices intrude into the carrying space of the pickup box, or stick out from the back of the tailgate, both being undesirable. What is needed are steps into a pickup truck or other vehicle or structure that are integral in the tailgate, easy to use and that do not significantly interfere with the aesthetics of the tailgate and vehicle.